Herpen village

Herpen is a former municipality in Noord-Brabant province, since 1941 part
of Ravestein, which in its turn was absorbed by Oss in 2003.
Herpen village flag: five stripes of white and red, proportioned 2:1:2:1:2;
on the white stripes eight red merlettes, placed 3,2,3
Adopted 1 Feb 2003

The old municipality didn't have arms; it was discussed in 1940 with
the High Council of Nobility, which adviced against it pending the merger
into Ravenstein. There is a Herpen Coat of Arms in the Koffie Hag album, erroneously
based on the Cuijck arms (or instead of argent).
The Herpen arms is based on the van Herpen family, a branch of the
Cuijck family. Later the Lordship of Herpen was renamed "Land van Ravenstein",
after the seat, and came in 1397 in the possession of the Dukes of Kleef/Cleve,
in 1630 to Pfalz-Neuburg; occupied by the French in 1794, in 1800 awarded
to the "Bataafsche Republiek". The "Land of Ravenstein" consisted
of: Ravenstein (seat), Uden, Bedaf, Volkel, Boekel, Zeeland (the village
in N.Brabant), Velp, Reek, Herpen, and Schaijk.
Source: communication by Marcel van Westerhoven.
Van Goor's Aardrijkskundig Woordenboek van Nederland, 1968.
Jarig Bakker, 28 Apr 2005

The municipality of Herpen existed from 1810-1941. In olden days Herpen
included the whole Land van Ravenstein, of which it was the nucleus. But
the Lords of Herpen built a new castle and a puppet-town along the Maas
river and called that "Ravenstein". Herpen had to play second fiddle.
The aldermen of Herpen used a common seal, and versions of 1522 and
1651 showed the shields with arms of the former Lords of Herpen (from the
Van Cuijck family) and their successors, the
counts, later dukes of Kleef. According the Armory of Bellenville it was
already in the 14th century red (two desses and eight merlettes) on silver.
In 1940 the (presumably NSB) mayor of Herpen tried to get those arms confirmed,
but he was too late.
The Noordbrabantse Commissie voor Wapen- en Vlaggenkunde advised in
1992 to have that coat of arms introduced as village arms. After a while
the municipality of Oss granted that wish. The flag is according to the
arms.
Willem van Ham, 7 May 2005

Herpen Coat of Arms

Herpen Carnavalflag

image by Ivan Sache, 13 May 2009

The "Stichting Carnaval Herpen" (Herpen Carnaval Foundation),
organizer of the yearly local carnaval, presented on 19 May 2008 the
carnaval flag, offerred for sale. The flag is in size 1 m x 1.5 m,
divided red over black (the village's colours) by the ascending diagonal,
with, in the middle, the Herpen Swan outlined in white and the words
CARNAVAL and HERPEN, in white letters, above and below the swan,
respectively.
Sources: this
webpage, big
image, photo
of the flag on stage.
Ivan Sache, 13 May 2009